Eco resort in Southwest Sumba
Maringi Sumba by the Sumba Hospitality Foundation
A small eco resort on the Sumba Hospitality Foundation campus, run mostly by the students it trains. Your stay pays for their education.
From$145a night on Booking.com
- Responsible travel
- Wellness
- Couples
- Eco resort
- Near the airport
About
Maringi Sumba is the training hotel of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation. You stay in bamboo pavilions in the middle of the foundation's campus, and most of the team looking after you are students learning hospitality on the job.
There is a restaurant, an open-air spa, a bamboo yoga shala, a pool, a permaculture garden and free bikes. The beach is a 10-minute ride away, and the hotel can plan trips to Sumba's lagoons, waterfalls and villages.
Why we recommend it
Your stay funds a school
Maringi is the training hotel of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation, which has trained young Sumbanese people since 2016.
Close to the airport
About 20 minutes from Tambolaka, so it works for your first or last night.
Guests rate it highly
9.2 on Booking.com and 4.9 on Tripadvisor, with staff scored 9.8 out of 10.
The Sumba Hospitality Foundation runs a vocational hospitality school that enrols 70 students each year, with Maringi Sumba and the Makan Dulu restaurant as their training ground. Sumba Hospitality Foundation
The experience
Maringi sits in the green grounds of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation campus in Loura. Days are slow: a swim in the pool, a treatment at the open-air spa, yoga in the bamboo shala, or a ride on the free bikes to Mananga Aba Beach, about 10 minutes away.
The students also take guests out to Sumba's lagoons, waterfalls and traditional villages, and the hotel can arrange a car and guide for the day.
Service
Almost everyone looking after you is a student of the foundation, training on the job under experienced hospitality teachers. Guests rate the staff 9.8 out of 10 on Booking.com, the hotel's highest score.
Housekeeping is daily, there is a concierge and laundry service, and the team will meet you at the airport. They speak English, French and Indonesian.
Rooms and layout
Nine pavilions in two types, all built in bamboo in the traditional Sumbanese style.
5 pavilionsBamboo Pavilion
Pick it for privacy
- Queen-sized bed with mosquito net
- Open-air en-suite bathroom
- Fan and air-conditioning
- Private terrace
- 4 pavilions
Pool Pavilion
Pick it for the pool
- King or twin beds, extra bed on request
- Open-air en-suite bathroom
- Fan and air-conditioning
- Shared kitchen and living room
Getting to Maringi Sumba
Fly from Bali to Tambolaka Airport, about 50 minutes. Maringi is only 9 km away, around 20 minutes by car, and the hotel can collect you from the airport. That makes it an easy first or last night on the island.
Best for
- Travel that does good165 of 215 written reviews praise the training school
- Warm, personal serviceStaff rated 9.8 / 10 on Booking.com
- Eating well on site138 reviews praise the food
- Design and comfortComfort rated 9.5 / 10 on Booking.com
Key facts
- Check-in 2pm to 9pm, check-out by 11am
- 9 pavilions on the foundation's campus
- Run by students of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation
- Free bikes, free parking and free Wi-Fi
Dining
Restaurant
Indonesian, Asian and international dishes, with produce from the campus garden
Permaculture garden
Grows produce for the restaurant, on the foundation's campus
Makan Dulu
The foundation's second training restaurant
Amenities and services
- Free Wi-Fi
- Outdoor pool
- Spa
- Yoga shala
- Restaurant
- Permaculture garden
- Free bikes
- Airport shuttle
- Free parking
- Laundry
- Family rooms
- EN · FR · ID
Guest reviews, compiled
Scores from 358 reviews on Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Google · checked 30 Oct 2026
Guests rave about three things: the students who run the place, the warmth of the service and the food. Many say their stay felt like it mattered, because it pays for the students' training.
- Staff
- 9.8 /10
- Comfort
- 9.5 /10
- Cleanliness
- 9.5 /10
- Facilities
- 9.3 /10
223 of 237 reviews give 5 stars
The training school165 reviews
Guests love that their stay helps train young Sumbanese students for a career.
Staff and service158 reviews
Warm, attentive service that guests remember long after they leave.
Food138 reviews
Fresh, delicious meals, many with produce from the campus garden.
Rooms and design101 reviews
Bamboo pavilions, outdoor bathrooms and comfortable beds.
The property is run by students of the hospitality school, all working hard and keen to make a future in the hospitality industry. They are extremely helpful. Food in the restaurant was delicious!
5 out of 5 starsGillian, South Africa · Booking.com The staff were amazing and helpful. Our pool villa was beautiful. We loved the outdoor shower and pool.
5 out of 5 starsAllyson, Australia · Booking.com We loved our stay at Maringi and would stay again! The whole concept is remarkable and made our stay so enjoyable. We enjoyed the pool and the yoga pavilion was amazing.
5 out of 5 starsKelly, Australia · Booking.com The staff is extremely nice and arranging. The hotel architecture is magnificent along with the nature surrounding it. We liked being within the hospitality foundation.
5 out of 5 starsJules, Switzerland · Booking.com
Frequently asked questions
Who runs Maringi Sumba?
The Sumba Hospitality Foundation. It is the foundation's training hotel, and most of the staff are its students.
How far is Maringi Sumba from Tambolaka airport?
Only 9 km, about 20 minutes by car. The hotel runs airport transfers, so you can be at the pool soon after you land.
How far is the beach from Maringi Sumba?
Mananga Aba Beach is 2.7 km from the foundation's campus, an easy 10-minute ride on the hotel's free bikes.
What rooms are there?
Five Bamboo Pavilions with a queen bed, and four Pool Pavilions with king or twin beds around the pool. All have an open-air bathroom, a fan and air-conditioning.
What time are check-in and check-out?
Check-in is from 2pm to 9pm and check-out is by 11am, per Booking.com.
